Everyone is constantly searching for happiness, a process filled with difficulties related to daily life (our lifestyle, work, relationships with others…) but in which we can play our part.
Happiness often does not depend on ourselves, but the truth is that we have the power to establish the most favorable conditions possible for it to happen. And, in that sense, there are several areas in which we can work. One of them is language.
Neil Pasricha, director of the Global Happiness Institute, has compiled a list with psychologist Leslie Richardson of words and phrases that we can say every day and that can help us in our pursuit of happiness.
The phrases that happy people repeat
- Tell me more: this phrase is said when someone speaks to another person, showing empathy and a ‘putting oneself in the other’s shoes’ that will help increase their bond with others, a way to achieve happiness.
- I can: here it is mandatory to replace ‘I have to’ with ‘I can’, so that we eliminate certain impositions that we put on ourselves in our daily life, and that, in the long run, prevent us from achieving happiness in our day-to-day life.
- Still: it is a clear reference to the fact that things can be made right or solved, that the issues that worry us can be resolved, and a way of looking to the future with hope.
- Will it matter in a year?: with this phrase, we work on granting things the importance they really deserve. This way, we free ourselves from anxieties or distress that stand in our way to happiness.
- I will focus on: focusing on a specific issue and clearing the mind of other concerns is key. It is ultimately about unburdening our minds and prioritizing the truly important matters.
